Sammy Sosa's Recent Appearance Has Left Fans Concerned

The baseball great previously explained how he used bleaching cream to "soften his skin."

Sammy Sosa's decision to change his skin hue isn't new, but after a recent appearance on ESPN Deportes, fans were left scratching their heads over his lighter appearance.

On Wednsday (July 12) ESPN Depores aired a special about the All-Star Home Run Derby with Sosa making a brief appearance. As he shared his thoughts on the game he owned over two decades ago, social media was left fixated on his skin tone.

They need to do a #30for30 on Sammy Sosa and not even talk about baseball.

The retired baseball player shared his decision to lighten his skin in 2009. “It’s a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin some,” Sosa said to Univision’s “Primer Impacto.” “It’s a cream that I have, that I use to soften [my skin], but has bleached me some. I’m not a racist, I live my life happily. What happened was that I had been using the cream for a long time and that, combined with the bright TV lights, made my face look whiter than it really is. I don’t think I look like Michael Jackson.”

Nonethless, his transformation has been hard to digest by fans.

During his heyday in '03, this is what the former Cubs player looked like:

And later at his birthday party in 2009.

And during another celeb swanky event with David Arquette in 2014.

His ESPN Deportes look hints Sosa has continued the bleaching process, with Twitter taking immediate notice.

Skin Bleaching is a billion-dollar business in places like Asia, with it catching popularity in West and South Africa, as well as Jamaica. Newsweek reports Ghana placed a ban on the product, but has faced issues removing skin bleaching products from retail shops. While over the years, ads have been less problematic, it hasn't changed the curiosity of those interested in bleaching their skin.

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President Donald Trump has no public events scheduled for Dr. Martin Luther King day.

On Friday (Jan. 18) the president signed a proclamation in which encouraged “all Americans to recommit themselves to Dr. King’s dream by engaging in acts of service to others, to their community, and to our Nation.” The Daily Beast reports. However, Trump may not have included himself in the proclamation.

NEW: @realDonaldTrump won't be participating in any Martin Luther King Jr. Day service activities tomorrow. According to the White House schedule, he "has no public events scheduled."

— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) January 21, 2019

While the president's plans on the national day of service are unclear, Vice President Mike Pence compared Dr. King's legacy of peace to the current U.S. partial government shutdown.
On CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday (Jan. 20) Pence quoted the late civil rights leader.

"One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy,’” Pence said. "You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process, to become a more perfect union...That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on Congress to do: Come to the table in the spirit of good faith.

We’ll secure our border. We’ll reopen the government and we’ll move our nation forward as the president said yesterday to even a broader discussion about immigration reform in the months ahead.”

As of Jan. 21, the United States government has been shut down for 31 days. More than 800,000 federal employees have gone without pay due to an impasse between the Democratic Congress and the White House. Donald Trump has asked for $5.7 billion for a U.S.-Mexico wall, while the Democrats are refusing to budge.

In Melbourne, Australia, Serena Williams kicked off her week by solidifying her spot in the Australian Open’s quarterfinal, Reuters reports. On Monday evening (Jan. 21), the acclaimed champion defeated professional tennis’ No. 1 player Simona Halep (6-1, 4-6, 6-4). According to various news reports, the match tested each opponent’s athletic ability, with both vying to remain in the tournament by serving high power aces; on Williams’ end she landed nine.

“In order for me to stay out there, I had to play a little like I knew I could. I’m such a fighter. I just never give up,” Williams said. “It’s definitely something that’s innate. I just work so hard for every point.” On Halep’s side, she told reporters the whole exhibition came as fast as the speed of light. “I felt like I had been hit by a train in the first set,” Halep said. “Everything was too fast.”

As the Australian Open is the first Grand Slam exhibition to kick off pro-tennis’ season (French Open, Wimbledon, US Open), Williams is back on a renewed quest to add to her trophy case after losing 2018’s US Open final to Naomi Osaka. After giving birth to her first child in late 2017, Williams was back to work three months later.

In an interview with Vogue, Williams admitted that leaving tennis behind to be a full-time mom sounds enticing, but she’s on track to attain 25 single Grand Slam titles, a feat that would shatter the record held by Margaret Court with 24 conquests to her name.

“To be honest, there’s something really attractive about the idea of moving to San Francisco and just being a mom,” she said. “But not yet. Maybe this goes without saying, but it needs to be said in a powerful way: I absolutely want more Grand Slams. I’m well aware of the record books, unfortunately. It’s not a secret that I have my sights set on 25.”

Williams will take on No. 7 Karolina Pliskova on Tuesday (Jan. 22).

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It's official. My comeback is here. This Thursday I will start playing tennis again professionally for the first time since giving birth to my daughter. This whole month I am playing tournaments in California and Florida- both my home states. Thursday, the day I play my very first match, marks international women's day. My comeback could not have come on a better day and I decided I wanted to do something different let you all be apart of my long journey back (if you want of course!!) So I created my Serena Gold toned "S" pin. When I am playing you can wear it and show support not only from me but also for my charity which supports the Yetunde Price Resource center. I want this gold "S" mean something special to you personally. What is one S word in your life that means something to you? Mine is Strong and Sure! So when I wear my "S" pin I am representing Strength, and Sureness. What would your "S" mean? They are for now only available for my fans that come see my at Indian wells, and Miami starting Wednesday as well as Thursday when I play!! Sooooo if you are watching me stop by the Serena booth to grab a "S" pin. Post pics of you wearing your "S" and tag me! Thanks for the support I look forward to seeing you out there!!

As we know, LaVar Ball goes above and beyond in terms of making sure his sons become the superstar basketball players he wants them to be. His youngest son LaMelo is currently playing for SPIRE Institute in Ohio, and they have an upcoming tournament taking place in Kentucky. Mr. Ball is reportedly asking outlets to pay $3,500 at the door to videotape his son playing.

"All games are free to film except for the Spire Institute games,” an email reportedly sent by LaVar read. “To film either of the 2 Spire Institute games, you will have to present $3,500 at the gate, as per rules of the Big Baller Brand media credential… If you accept these conditions, you may present this email at the gate as proof of our approval where you will be given a media pass.”

While a few Internet folks are scoffing at the idea of having to pay that sort of money, others are pointing out the fanbase of LaMelo, stating that there are outlets who certainly would (and have) paid the fee for the chance to record LaMelo and SPIRE moments from the game. According to Forbes, this is one of many revenue streams for the Ball family.

"The Ball Sports Group in November entered into a partnership with FloSports Inc. to live stream five SPIRE games featuring LaMelo, beginning with one on Tuesday (Jan. 14) at Brush High School in Ohio," the site reports. "FloSports Inc. agreed to pay $5,000 per game, according to the contract which was signed by Foster."

Here's the email telling video outlets they must pay $3,500 to film LaMelo and @SpireBasketball this weekend in Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/XoiiorNxVr